Inay (Mama) from Vancouver director Thea Loo plays at VIFF Centre on November 5, 6, and 14

The documentary took home the Arbutus Award for best B.C. film at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival

VIFF Centre presents Inay (Mama) on November 5, 6, and 14

INAY (MAMA) IS getting more local screentime with a run at the VIFF Centre on November 5, 6, and 14.

The documentary by Vancouver director Thea Loo had a highly successful Canadian premiere at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival, where it won the Arbutus Award for best B.C. film. It was also runner-up for the Tides Award for outstanding documentary feature by a Canadian or Indigenous filmmaker.

Inay (which means “mama” in Tagalog) looks at the stress and trauma faced by certain Filipino Canadians because of the immigration system that has separated so many Filipino children from their mothers.

With Loo’s husband, Jeremiah Reyes, as the film’s director of photography, Inay explores the intersection of mental health and migrant labour and the consequences that continue to be felt years later. Through difficult, intimate conversations, the film aims to break the silence between the first and second generations of the Filipino community and get the topic of mental illness out into the open.

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Gail Johnson

Gail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.

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